NGO asks High Court to think twice about legality of Deri as minister

An NGO requested a rare appeal to a broader panel of the High Court of Justice about the legality of Arye Deri remaining Economy Minister following an August 13 ruling of a standard three justice panel that his appointment was borderline unreasonable, but legal.

Deri was forced to resign in 1993 amid a corruption investigation, after five years as interior minister. In 2000, he was convicted of bribery, fraud and violation of trust, and he was sentenced to three years in prison. He was released after 22 months in 2002.

He also waited more than the seven year cooling off period for returning to politics and was not reinstated as Shas Party leader until 2012.